About DJNO

Our Vision

Creating a world where people with disabilities are free to be.

Our Mission

The Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO) aims to build a just and accessible Ontario, wherein people with disabilities:

Have personal and political agency
Can thrive and foster community
Build the power, capacity, and skills needed to hold people, communities, and institutions responsible for the spaces they create

Our Values

Accountability: Our work is community-led and accountable to people with disabilities.

Building Community Capacity: We work collaboratively with local community members, movements and organizations to seek equity and justice for people with disabilities.

Justice: We work beyond current legislation to prioritize access, empowerment and liberation for people with disabilities, including the creation of sustainable support systems.

Open Door: Our door is always open. We welcome all people who support DJNO’s vision, mission, and values regardless of ability, race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender or economic status.

Resource Sharing: We are committed to supporting those with the least resources first, and addressing the dynamic needs of our communities equitably.

Self-Determination: We respect and support people with disabilities and the choices they make to build better futures for themselves and their collectives. This includes the choice to disclose, discuss and manage their disability.

10 Principles of Disability Justice

Intersectionality: “We do not live single-issue lives” –Audre Lorde. Ableism, coupled with white supremacy, supported by capitalism, underscored by heteropatriarchy, has rendered the vast majority of the world “invalid.”

Leadership of Those Most Impacted: “We are led by those who most know these systems.” –Aurora Levins Morales.
Anti-capitalist Politic: In an economy that sees land and humans as components of profit, we are anti-capitalist by the nature of having non-conforming body/minds.

Commitment to Cross-movement Organizing: Shifting how social justice movements understand disability and contextualize ableism, disability justice lends itself to politics of alliance.

Recognizing Wholeness: People have inherent worth outside of commodity relations and capitalist notions of productivity. Each person is full of history and life experience.

Sustainability: We pace ourselves, individually and collectively, to be sustained long-term. Our embodied experiences guide us toward ongoing justice and liberation.

Commitment to Cross-disability Solidarity: We honour the insights and participation of all of our community members, knowing that isolation undermines collective liberation.

Interdependence: We meet each others’ needs as we build toward liberation, knowing that state solutions inevitably extend into further control over lives.

Collective Access: As brown, black and queer-bodied disabled people we bring flexibility and creative nuance that go beyond able-bodied/minded normativity, to be in community with each other.

Collective Liberation: No body or mind can be left behind – only moving together can we accomplish the revolution we require.

Chart representing DJNO's reporting structure.

Steering Committee: The DJNO steering committee is made up of the three co-founders, and a representative from the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), DJNO's acting organizational mentor. The steering committee is responsible for setting the strategic priorities of the organization, supporting the youth council and committees, and completing all administrative requirements. The steering committee is also responsible for building relationships with our general members and community partners.

Youth Advisory Council: The Youth Advisory Council is made up of seven youth with disabilities from across Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Each youth advisory council member has committed to a term for two years. The Youth Advisory Council is responsible for advising the steering committee on the direction of the organization, as well as the three standing committees. Once capacity is built in the youth advisory council, up to two representatives of the youth advisory council will have voting seats in the steering committee, and each committee will be chaired by a Youth Advisory Council member. Applications for the Youth Advisory Council closed in October 2018 and will open again in October 2020.

Research Committee: This committee is chaired by a steering committee member and a youth advisory council member. The research committee is primarily responsible for conducting research on behalf of the organization. Right now, the research committee has partnered with McMaster University to conduct an environmental scan on the needs of people with disabilities in Hamilton Ontario. This committee is open, and will be accepting members on a rolling basis. To get involved, email info@djno.ca.

Campaigns Committee: This committee is chaired by a steering committee member and a youth advisory council member. The campaigns committee is open to anyone with a disability, and will focus on building capacity in people with disabilities to organize around a local cause. The committee members decide on what actions or campaigns to lead, with training and support from the steering committee and youth council. To get involved, email info@djno.ca.

Education Committee: This committee is chaired by a steering committee member and a youth advisory council member. This committee is focused on creating educational resources and workshop curriculum on disability justice for the Hamilton area and province wide. To get involved, email info@djno.ca.

General Membership: The general membership is anyone who would like to get involved in DJNO, whether or not they are on a committee. All of our events are open to general members, and we will report back to the general membership once a year at our annual general meetings. For more information, or to get onto our mailing list, email info@djno.ca.